Joints for absorbing the hammering effect of railroad and streetcar line rails



P. BOY 2,843,326 JOINTS FOR ABSORBING THE HAMMERING EFFECT INVENTOR.

July 15, 1958 OF RAILROAD AND STREETCAR LINE RAILS Filed Nov. 2. 1954 Paolo Boy BY 4/5220 diiorw United States Patent JOINTS FOR ABSORBING THE HAMMERING EF- FECT OF RAILROAD AND STREETCAR LINE RAILS Paolo Boy, Rome, Italy Application November 2, 1954, Serial No. 466,383

2 Claims. (Cl. 238--219) It is known that on railroads the rails, when installed, are suitably spaced apart with a view of taking into consideration the expansion of metal. It is also known that the shock of the wheels against the rail joints causes the so-called hammering effect, which is harmful both to stationary installations and to the rolling stock.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device adapted to absorb this hammering effect, which device has for its object the prevention of the characteristic track noise of running railroad and tramline cars and of doing away with the cost of maintenance and the damage caused to the rolling stock owing to wear and tear.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example only, without any limitation, in the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the joint according to the invention, in position ready for use;

Figure 2 is a front view of the rail-connecting sleeve;

Figure 3 is a top view of the two opposite rail heads with the intermediate base portions for the sleeve joint;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the sleeve made according to the invention, ready for use;

Figure 5 is a sectional front view of the same sleeve in position ready for use;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the rail headpieces in a lateral position and Figure 7 is a front view of the same headpiece;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a check as used to ensure the stability of the joint applied to the two headpieces;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a joint without sleeve and having only one coupling, as used according to a modification of the invention;

Figure 10 shows a second modification of the joint without sleeve and having two couplings;

Figure 11 is a top view of the joint with a sleeve having a greater width than the rail heads, and

Figure 12 is also a top view showing a modification of the notch and the engagement cog with a bevelling on the external walls of the heads and of the sleeve.

Referring to the drawing, the sleeve 1, which is forged or cast, is arranged astride on the two rail heads 2 and surrounds two side cheeks 3 which keep connected between each other the rails 2 by means of bolts passing through holes 4. The sleeve joint 1, which is more clearly shown in Fig. 4, has its top portion shaped as a prism 5, from which two extensions or walls 6 form a fork and actually serve to embrace the two rail heads 2 and the cheeks 3 (Fig. 8), into whose notch 7 enters fork 6 and is housed therein, thus preventing sleeve 1 from surpassing the width of the rail head 8 (Fig. 7). In particular, when observing Fig. 5 showing sleeve 1 in position ready for use, sleeve 1 can be clearly seen with its fork 6 covering the rail head 2 and the two lateral rail clamping cheeks 3, the whole being firmly joined together by means of bolts 9. The sleeve 1 according to the invention, has its top 5 resting upon a flat surface 10 provided on each of the rail headpieces 2, whose ends are bevelled as indicated at 11 (Fig. 3) which ends wedge themselves into the notch ends of the top 5 of sleeve 1 when the joint is installed; this particular configuration of the rail headpieces at the coupling point of the sleeve joint is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7: of the drawing, in which headpieces 2 at the top have the fiat or plane surfaces 10 which extend under the top' 5 of sleeve 1 to support the same at the joint.

A modification in the invention consists of the use of a joint without sleeve (Fig. 9), having only one direct coupling, instead of the indirect coupling as shown in the previous figures.

This direct prismatic coupling (Fig. 9) has in one of the rail heads 2 the tongued portion 2' and in the other rail head 2 the grooved portion 2", without the connecting sleeve, cheeks 3 being kept installed and, of course secured, by heans of bolts extending through holes 4.

Another modification of the invention consists of a prismatic joint having two direct couplings without sleeve. As shown in Fig. 10, this sleeve is replaced by a piece of rail of the same type as that used hitherto, in which piece of rail the notches are formed at both ends of the rail sections to such an extent as to permit to engage in complementary notches in the intermediate section 13 placed between them.

According to a still further modification of the invention, the manufacture and installation of the sleeve joint may take place with a greater width than that commonly used in connection with rails to be joined. As in this case it will be necessary to pay attention to the internal line of the track, for the passage of the rolling stock, the notches provided for the connection with the rail heads will correspond to the directrix as traced by the line joining the end tips of the two tapered ends of said rail heads and which does not necessarily pass along the longitudinal axis of the sleeve (Fig. 11).

Furthermore, a modification of the formation of the notch and the tapered ends of the rail heads, which are provided on the sleeve joint and the rail heads, may consist of a bevelling of the external edges of said sleeve and connecting heads as shown in Fig. 12.

Referring to what has been stated in connection with the sleeve having a greater width than the rails (Fig. 11), the application of the locking cheek 3 (Fig. 8) may be possible by having recourse to the use of an external cheek which is not flat but profiled and bent according to the greater thickness of the sleeve.

To make the rail heads stronger and hold them firmly in place, besides the flat or profiled cheeks 3, it will be possible to provide tenons 14 to be wedged in transversely between the rail heads connected between each other as shown in Fig. 6.

The advantages which are secured by the use of the invention as disclosed hereinbefore are those already mentioned in the introduction of the specification and particularly concern the removal of the noise due to the socalled hammering eflfect of the rail heads in railroads and tramways during the passage of the trains or cars. Moreover, through the invention the cost of maintenance and the considerable damage caused to the rolling stock are reduced to a minimum, and the trains are permitted to achieve a greater speed, the absorbing joint according to the invention being intended to always keep level the rail heads with the junctions of the railroad or streetcar line. Said joint may be applied and adapted to any size of rails whatever their shape may be.

What I claim is:

1. A joint for railway rails comprising a pair of adjacent rail ends, each of said rail ends having a head recessed to provide a seat disposed below the upper surface of the heads, a channel-shaped sleeve fitted on said seat and having a top plate provided with an upper surjections, the sleeve having spaced vertical side plates between which the railends are embraced, and fastening elements extending through said side plates and through the rail ends. I h

. 2. A joint for railway rails comprising a pair of adjacent rail sections, a cheek plate on 'each side of the vertical flange of the rail sections, said cheek plates bridging the space between the rail sections, the rail sections having heads recessed to co-operate in the formation of a seat between them, a substantially U-shaped sleeve fitted on the seat, said sleeve having notched ends, the heads on the rail sections having ends complementary to and fitting within said notched ends, the sleeve having spaced, parallel side walls extending downwardly on opposite sides of the rails and over the cheek plates, the cheek plates being recessed to accommodate said side Walls, and fastening elements extending through said side walls, through the cheek plates and through the rails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 679,087 Melaun July 23, 1901 1,009,250 Kristofierson Nov. 21, 1911 1,124,554 Swartz Jan. 12, 1915 1,272,607 Bencze et a1. July 16, 1918 1,355,154 Lavoie Oct. 12, 1920 1,518,667 Miller Dec. 9, 1924 2,013,228 Anderson Sept. 3, 1935 

